


An Uchiha At Heart || SasuSaku

by cleopatran



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 18:10:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9083575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleopatran/pseuds/cleopatran
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke finally returns to his hometown years after roaming the Shinobi world, paying for his sins. Now that he's back, he wonders if he can settle in Konoha just yet with all the history he has there, or if he'll even be accepted as he once was long, long ago. But it's not the only thing on his mind: has Sakura forgotten the promise he'd made her that he would see her when he was back, or has she already moved on in her life without Sasuke?





	1. Return to Konoha

A cool breeze travels through the earth, swiftly grasping grains of sand and wandering rose petals for company. They fly together amongst the birds, eyeing the tall creations of man and the blue creations of God. They chance upon cities full of withering leaves and sweep them along for their journeys. As they flap their invisible wings in the midst of existence, they clash upon long, dark locks of hair draping down from the skull of a fair-skinned man with very particular eyes that can’t be missed.

Roaming the earth for thousands of days and thousands of miles, the winds had taken their course and landed back to their homeland of the leaves, accompanied by their dark friend. He strolled through the gates of the village whose every whiff of air carried a different memory. The last Uchiha elevated himself to where he could get a full view of his old home. It was still the same, that Konohagakure. The statues of its greatest heroes stood still at the heart of it, watching over its citizens from every threat. It seemed that no matter what happened and what changed, it would always be the one thing that remained fixed in his life.

Sasuke landed gracefully on the ground, and continued his re-acquaintance with the place so full of history.

He walked and walked, trying to accustom himself to the feel of the village once again, though successful he was not. He would never admit it, but the raven haired man was restless for more than one reason. He was very aware of the terms on which he had left back then, and despite assisting Konoha in the war, not many had forgiven nor forgotten the series of events that occurred before that.

Sasuke was used to being an outcast his entire life, but for a short period of time in the start of his time with Team 7, he had let himself hope even just a little bit, that maybe he finally found a place where he belonged. That feeling felt so very distant now, but it was there nonetheless. He only wondered at the back of his head if his former team would ever grant him that comfort and safety ever again.

Naruto certainly would, he reassured his inner self. But what about Kakashi and….

Sakura.

The image of the pink haired girl he had parted with appeared in his mind, and suddenly he was overcome with some sort of feeling…curiosity. His words to her were “I’ll see you when I’m back,” but he hadn’t thought back then in what condition he would find her. Would she be waiting for him, after all this time? Or would she have settled down and found happiness for herself, all while Sasuke was paying for his sins and protecting the earth?

“Sakura…” he whispered to himself, as if trying out the feel of the name-one he hasn’t called for in so long-on his tongue.

The reformed Uchiha decided he was going to seek his old teammate and friend, but first he had another necessary stop to make: his old dwelling, the Uchiha house.


	2. Sakura, kuh?

The leaves of Konoha danced in rhythm with the soft breeze that blew across its sky. They’d reached the balcony of one Haruno Sakura, who had gotten distracted by the cool air and looked outside to admire the starry night. She smiled at the tranquility she felt at that moment, but soon that feeling was replaced by nostalgia, though she was unsure why. She turned around and put the book she’d been reading, _Medicine of the Modern Ninja_ , back on her shelf, and decided to pay a visit to her dear friend, Naruto.

_Oh how times have changed_ , she thought to herself with an ambivalent smile. It feels like just yesterday we graduated the Ninja Academy. But so much more has happened. I mean, Naruto’s already married for Kami’s sake!

Speaking of which, I probably shouldn’t visit empty handed, Sakura reminded herself. Maybe I should stop by Ino’s to get some flowers.

Lost in thought, the cherry blossom girl walked under the twinkling sky, and suddenly found herself in a place she hadn’t come by in a long, long time.

The Uchiha house.

_Why did I come here_? She asked herself. _Have I been subconsciously thinking about him_?

She stood outside the legendary household, and didn’t do much other than stare. Should I go inside? No, Sakura, that’s trespassing! She scolded herself. Besides, it’s not like anyone’s here…right?

But that’s just it. Standing there, the pink haired medic-nin sensed a whiff of that peculiar energy she was so familiar with once upon a time. But it’s not possible.

He _can’t_ be back.

The pink-haired woman softly chuckled to herself, mocking her own silliness. No more detours, she thought, and so she made her way to Ino’s flower shop, and headed to Naruto and Hinata’s new home.

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto screamed as soon as he opened the door. “Perfect timing!”

“Ore? What’s going on Naruto?” she was completely dumbfounded.

“Hinata has been sick for three days, but she refuses to see a doctor. Would you take a look at her?”

“H-hai..” Naruto enthusiastically pulled her towards Hinata’s room, and she couldn’t help but laugh in her mind at how childish he can still be.

“Hinata! Sakura-chan is here to see you,” said Naruto.

“Konbanwa, Hinata,” said Sakura politely and slightly amused. “How are you feeling? Dai jubu?” she asked her as she put the flowers on the night stand next to Hinata’s bed.

“Hai…I’m fine really, I’ve just been a little queasy lately. Everything seems to make me nauseous and I end up puking.”

“She couldn’t even stand the smell of my special edition ramen that I made for her to feel better. She usually really loves that one,” Naruto added.

“Naruhodo. You sure you’re not just talking about yourself, Naruto?” Sakura teased.

“Oi! I’m serious dattebayou!” he protested.

“Alright, I’ll take a look.”

The Team 7  medic-nin closed her eyes, and focused her green chakra into her palms. She then opened them, and with outmost concentration, started examining her best friend’s wife.

After a few minutes, a shocked expression took over her face.

“What is it, Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked with extreme worry. Hinata was slightly terrified as well.

“Give me a moment,” was her only reply.

A few moments later, with a serious and stern expression on her face, Sakura took a deep breath. “Naruto, Hinata…what I’m about to tell you is going to change your life.”

They married couple both stared at Sakura, wide-eyed and anxious.

Suddenly, Sakura quickly changed her face expression and gave a closed-eye smile. “You’re going to be parents!”

Silence filled the room. No one was really sure what to say.

Hinata blushed and looked away, and Naruto just stood there, stunned.

“I’m going to be…a father?” he finally whispered to himself.

His eyes were gleaming and a few tears threatened to fall. He walked over to his wife’s bed, grabbed her hand with his and placed the other palm on her belly. “Arigato, Hinata.”

“Naruto-kun…” tears swelled her eyes as well, and she pushed herself up to hug her beloved husband.

Sakura took that as her que, and swiftly walked out of the room, leaving the happy couple alone.

Before she could leave, Naruto called after her from behind. “Sakura-chan…I’m glad you came by.”

“Me too,” she assured him genuinely.

After a short moment, Naruto looked at Sakura intently. “Ne, Sakura-chan…you felt it too, right?”

“Eh? Felt what...?” she answered, confused.

“Sasuke. He’s back…I can feel it. You can too, right?”

_So I wasn’t wrong after all_ , she thought to herself. “Mm.”

***********************************************************

_Sasuke-kun’s back_.

Should I pass by his house again? Even if I do, what would I say? He left while things between us were…interesting. What should I do?

Shannaro! Get a grip, Sakura! Her inner conscious screamed.

Sasuke-kun is an old comrade. It would be inappropriate _not_ to go see him.

“Sakura, kuh?”

She froze.

That familiar deep voice. That intense vibe. That overwhelming presence.

It was definitely him.

She slowly turned on her heels, and the raven-haired man came into full view.

“Sasuke-kun.”

They didn’t say anything for a while. They both just stood there, taking in the other’s presence. _Sasuke looks so different_ , Sakura silently pondered. She immediately noticed how much taller he’d gotten, and how much longer his hair seemed. A shawl draped over his shoulders, probably to conceal his amputated arm. He had a piece of cloth wrapped around his head as well, most likely to keep several strands of his hair in place to hide his terrifying Rennigan eye from the common people.

He contemplated his old blossom comrade as well. The look of kindness she always bore was still there, but her eyes were eyes of steel. She was no longer the silly twelve-year old he knew at her core; she was a strong kinoichi who could crush her opponent with the tip of her fingers, just as she’d proven during the war.

He started walking towards her, and Sakura wasn’t quite sure what to expect. He stopped a few inches away from where she stood, and started directing his hand at her.

Sakura didn’t move, and then she felt two of Sasuke’s fingers on her forehead...her heart nearly stopped.

“Good to see you, Sakura.”


	3. Mission

Making their way through Konoha’s endless trees in silence, Sakura’s inner self was cursing her luck. Kakashi-sensei’s men just _had_ to come at that particular moment; a moment she’d dreamed of for as long as she could remember. What was so important that he needed her and Sasuke at this time of day anyways?

Sasuke was jumping through the branches just a few feet ahead of her, and she took that chance to take in her old comrade’s features.

He still had the same stern look he’d always worn ever since the Ninja Academy days. His eyes were still fiery and determined, but this time, a different kind of flame seemed to kindle those lonely, dark eyes she’s always loved, but she’s not quite sure what.

Feeling her eyes on him, Sasuke peeked at the pink-haired ninja from the corner of his eye, then slightly smiled to himself. _Some things never change_.

Finally arriving, Sasuke and Sakura stepped into the office of the Sixth Hokage. He was standing up facing the window, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the same damn novel he’d been reading for—how many years now? His desk behind him was a complete mess, piled with stacks of papers and scrolls.

The door closed behind the two Genins, followed by Kakashi slowly turning around to face them.

“Konnichiwa, Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura greeted. He didn’t answer her, but rather stared at his old student with intrigue—as much intrigue as Kakashi could show anyways.

After a few minutes of a battle of intense stares, Kakashi gave a closed-eye smile. “So you’re really back, eh? Sasuke?” Sasuke simply nodded his head.

“It’s good to see you too, Sakura.” “Mm. Sensei, why did you call us here at this time?”

“Right, about that. Well, to say the least, there have been some unusual killings taking place near the village.”

“Unusual?” Sakura echoed.

“Hai. People have been disappearing and later found dead, their bodies looking like they’ve aged a thousand years. Basically, I need a small team to go out there and investigate, and gather some useful information.”

Sasuke and Sakura looked sideways at each other, then back at Kakashi. “Is Naruto coming?” they both asked in unison.

The Hokage chuckled. “No, Naruto needs to take care of his pregnant wife.”

Sasuke flinched at the news of Naruto and Hinata ever so slightly, no one would have normally noticed it hadn’t it been his old Team 7 comrades who knew him better than anyone.

_Naruto…is going to be a dad?...hmph._

He would never admit it, but he was happy for Naruto…and proud. Not to mention the idea of a mini-version of Konoha’s most hyperactive knucklehead ninja seriously amused him.

“So…it’s just going to be the two of us?” Sakura said carefully.

“Hai,” Kakashi stated. “We need this mission to be on the down-low before we fully know what’s going on.” He picked up a scroll from his desk of chaos and handed it to the medic-nin. “Here are the details for the mission. You leave tomorrow, so go home and try to get some sleep.”

Although this was clearly important, Sakura’s inner conscience couldn’t help but be shamelessly excited on accompanying Sasuke on this mission…solo. _This is going to be interesting._


	4. Departure

Sakura zipped up her backpack after adding a few final gadgets for the mission. A soft blow of wind ruffled the curtains to her balcony, so she stepped outside to take a quick breath of fresh air before she left. Stepping out into the balcony, she noticed a dark figure standing by her house. “Sasuke-kun?”

“Ready to go?” he called out to her.

“Mm,” she nodded back, and quickly went inside to grab her backpack and make her way down. While approaching her old comrade, he informed her that he had already passed by Kakashi to let him know they were going to leave immediately, and Sakura merely agreed.

They spent the first few minutes of walking in silence, not quite sure what to say. Soon, though, they passed by a very memorable road with a lonely bench placed to their right.

The only bench on the only road that leads out of the village.

A strange stir of emotion started within Sakura, and even Sasuke seemed to have peculiar feelings attributed to this spot, so much that he stopped in his step…and turned around.

Sakura stood still blinking a few times, her eyes full of curiosity with a hint of fear and melancholy. Sasuke walked towards her, his face carrying the same stern look, his eyes dark and unreadable. He stared at her for a few moments, in which Sakura finally realized what was so different about his eyes this time around.

They were the same distant, lonely eyes that she’s always loved, but this time, they were free of…hate. They were simply _free_.

The vengeance-driven Team 7 member was truly gone.

As if reading her mind, Sasuke’s expression softened, and he smiled at Sakura.

“Sakura,” he called out, almost in a whisper. He directed two fingers towards her forehead. “…arigato. For everything…and for waiting for me.”

Sakura stood there dumbfounded, unable to find the right words to say. Luckily Sasuke made it easy for her, and simply turned back to the road, still entertaining a soft smile on his lips.The pink-haired medic-nin blushed softly and tried not to grin like an idiot while following the man that was the love of her life.

“Ne, Sasuke-kun,” Sakura casually conversed. “You never said…how did your journey of the Shinobi world go?”

The dark man was silent for a few moments, then he lowered his face to where his eyes seemed like nothing but shadows hidden behind his long strands of hair. “It was very…eye-opening.”

Another moment of silence.

“I used to see the world enveloped in darkness, even on the days when the sun would be shining bright. I always chose to see the ugly and the bad in anything, because I was too focused on my ‘dream’ back then….but then I saw…miracles. At least they seemed like miracles to me.

I saw people with no powers, happy with so little. And I saw people with so much power, who had everything, but never seemed to be content….I want to go back there again, just to remind myself of how it felt like when I saw the Shinobi world from that perspective for the first time.”

Sakura was in awe, mesmerized, but mostly surprised by his words. Is it even possible for a person to change so much?

But then again, has he really changed? Sakura-along with Naruto and Kakashi- knew who Sasuke was deep down from the very beginning; it was only time he himself remembered that he’d always had good around him, and inside of him too.

He’d just been too blinded by hurt and hate for far too long to ever see things from a positive perspective.

Before she could voice her desire to join him the next time he leaves for travel, an inner fear quickly took over. “Will you never settle down in Konoha, Sasuke-kun?”

The man contemplated his answer carefully. “I…I’m not sure if I can. Not anytime soon, at least. There’s still too much of Itachi left there. And my clan.”

“Wuh kuh-tta…” Sakura replied, trying not to sound too upset. She really did understand, though.

After a few hours of checking their surroundings and sharing more stories about the past, Sasuke steered the conversation towards the present. “Any ideas who might be behind the missing persons? And what might be happening to them?”

“I’m not quite sure,” Sakura began, “but the conditions the bodies are found in have me thinking along the lines of someone gone awfully rogue with experimentation. I mean, the amount of power and chakra it would take to make a person look like he’s practically aged a century…I don’t know, I just have a bad feeling about this.”

“Yeah,” Sasuke agreed, more annoyed that all the options he’s narrowed it down to are all worse than the other.

But that wasn’t all.

Just as he’d noticed it, Sakura was already one step ahead of him.

There was a Genjustsu, and it wasn’t looking good.


	5. Nostalgia

It wasn’t long before the hidden enemy attacked. He sent a swarm of kunais with paper bombs in the ninjas’ direction, in which Sakura easily air-punched them away. He repeated the same attack, but it wasn’t hard for Sakura to deal with. Sasuke trusted her to dodge and shield them both until he utilized his Rinnegan to try and find the attacker amidst the Genjutsu.

He spotted him for about half a second, but then the enemy started accelerating his movements to a ridiculous speed that Sasuke could barely keep up with.

Suddenly, the monster appeared right in front of Sakura, and Sasuke nearly panicked when he realized he’d seen that chakra before on his journey. He quickly teleported to Sakura’s spot, and then teleported them both to whatever time and dimension his Rinnegan could take them to the fastest.

                             *****************************************

The Uchiha and the cherry blossom opened their eyes. They found themselves on a boat in a river, with a man standing right next to them about to hit them with the rowing paddle. Sasuke and Sakura looked at him, and the man flinched when he saw Sasuke’s terrifying eyes. He almost tripped and fell into the water, but Sakura told him he had nothing to worry about; in fact, they were about to leave.

The two Shinobi focused their chakra on the bottom of their feet and started running on the river water, trying to find hints of where they might be. Not long after, they saw a bridge still undergoing construction, most of it hidden between thick mist.

They both stopped for a moment, as if trying to convince themselves that what they think they will find on that bridge will actually be there.

Being as quiet and discreet as possible, they made their way to the start of the bridge in hopes of no one sensing them. As they started getting closer to the mist, Sasuke used his Rinnegan to confirm their suspicions.

They were right.

In the thick fog were five bodies emitting clear chakra, and another person who appeared to be a civilian. He easily recognized the orange Nine-Tail chakra in the body of twelve year-old Naruto.

“Sasuke-kun?” Sakura whispered. “Is it really them…us out there?” Sasuke nodded.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asked, a little excitement dancing in her eyes. Sasuke looked at her and smirked. “Let’s do this.”

“What’s our strategy?”

“I’ll teleport you to where Haku’s ice mirror wall is so you can quickly crush it, then I’ll teleport you to deal with Zabuza until…” It was almost too weird for Sasuke to say it out loud. “Until I get my younger self  and Naruto away from Haku.”

“Are we…really going to kill them this time too? Haku and Zabuza I mean.”

Sasuke pondered her question for a minute. He’d never known exactly what happened that day or how Haku and Zabuza ended up dying, but from what he managed to get out of Kakashi, well, at least Kakashi regretted it somewhere deep inside him.

“No. We just need to slow them down and make sure Kakashi and the others are safe.”

“Hai. Are you ready Sasuke-kun?” With a quick nod, he grabbed Sakura and did exactly as he said. In less than a second she was facing the ice wall she hadn’t seen in her own dimension, and a tight knot in her stomach formed when a flash of what happened to Sasuke that day came to mind.

She wasted no time though, and punched the ice mirrors with one swift blow with her hulk-like strength. “Shaaannaroo!” her inner-self screamed.

Just as quickly as she’d come there, she was now facing the deadly swordsman, Zabuza. He looked extremely confused, which only made Sakura grin wider. “Who the hell are you?!” he growled from under his mask. He didn’t give her much time to answer though, and reached for his sword to finish her off.

Back then Sakura would have been scared out of her mind, but now all she could feel was a rush of excitement. The sword barely even intimidated her as it flew in her direction. She ran towards it, made a fist, and crushed the sword almost with as much ease as she’d done the wall.

Zabuza stood there stunned, and Sasuke took that advantage to attack from behind. It seemed that he’d already taken care of Haku.

Sasuke having the upper hand in the battle made the thick fog start clearing up, and soon Zabuza was lying there bloody next to his companion.

Sasuke and Sakura stood by the bodies, and finally they looked up to meet the eyes of the very confused Team 7.

It was less than a minute before Kakashi tried to attack them.

“Kakashi-sensei, stop!” Sakura yelled, which threw Kakashi off.

“Who the hell are you, and why do you look like my students?” Kakashi asked deadpan.

The younger Team 7 and Tazuna approached, looking just as confused as Kakashi, especially with the bodies of the mist enemies lying at their feet whimpering, trying to get up.

“Who are you?” Kakashi repeated.

“Uchiha Sasuke.”

“Haruno Sakura.”

Kakashi’s expression remained unchanged, and young Sasuke’s eye widened as he stared at himself. The long-haired Sakura kept eyeing the short-haired one, and Naruto had his arms crossed with a goofy expression, trying to make sense of what’s going on.

“Let me explain to make this easier for everyone,” the older Sasuke offered. He reached for the hair on his face, and simply moved it aside to expose his Rinnegan eye.

“This is called Rinnegan, it allows me to teleport and time travel between different dimensions. Sakura and I were on a mission, and the attacker was too fast and too dangerous. That’s why I decided traveling to another dimension would be the best temporary solution until we come up with a plan.”

The younger Uchiha stared at his older self, half-impressed, half-excited. If this is what he was going to end up being like in the future, his chances at killing his brother just shot up.

“It’s really us, Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura added with a soft smile, which was the deal-breaker for him. He could spot the warmth and kindness in Sakura’s eyes anywhere.

Their sensei finally eased up. “I didn’t think anyone could use a teleportation jutsu besides Yondaime.”

Before anyone could say anything, Naruto interrupted.  “Mateh, mateh-dattebayou! How come older me isn’t with you?! Ne ne, tell me, do I become Hokage in the future? Do I become a stronger ninja than Sasuke? Tell me tell me!!”

The older Sasuke looked at him. How _did_ this idiot end up being stronger than him anyways?

“Usuratonkachi,” he hissed at him. The younger Sasuke smiled in amusement.

A loud groan from Zabuza interrupted the strange reunion.

“Come on Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei. We need to take them somewhere so they could heal before you arrest them.”


	6. Reaper

Sasuke and Sakura went back to Tazuna’s place, where Sakura started working on healing the rogue Mist ninjas while her younger self stared at her, wide-eyed. Kakashi and young Sasuke looked at her curiously, and Naruto’s heart eyes got bigger by the second.  
She had considered kicking Naruto, but then she’d break the house along with his bones.   
The older Uchiha walked into the room and called on his old trainer. “Kakashi, I need to talk to you,” he said, sounding more like an order than a request. Some things never change, Kakashi thought, even in different dimensions.  
The two Sharingan users entered into an empty room, and Kakashi closed the door behind them. “So, have you come up with a plan yet?” Kakashi asked. If this Sasuke was anything like the one in the other room, they’d sit there forever till Sasuke started the conversation himself.  
“Yes.”  
“So what’s the problem then?”  
“The attacker from the other dimension. He feeds on souls and since it’s hard for Shinobi to move quickly without exerting chakra, it just makes the process all the easier for him, not to mention it makes him faster,” the raven-haired man explained.  
“Okay, so you just have to be faster than him to beat him, correct?” Kakashi concluded.  
“Precisely. And I can do that by teleporting with my Rinnegan. I also came to know the justsu that can stop him, however, it requires three people to perform it, and you’re the only other person here capable of doing it.” Basically, this was Sasuke’s way of asking for help.  
“Okay then. I’ll tag along, but it has to be after Haku and Zabuza are taken away.” Sasuke merely nodded, then got up to head to the other room once again. When he did, his younger self was eyeing him suspiciously, as if he knew something he shouldn’t. The real matter though, was that he was trying to figure out if his family was alive in the other dimension, but that didn’t seem to be the case.  
Kakashi entered the room after Sasuke. “How’s it going over there, Sakura?” It took the long-haired Sakura a moment to realize the question wasn’t directed to her, while the older woman walked towards the two men.   
“They’re not going to be getting into any fights any time soon,” Sakura reassured them. “I used a different justu to heal them, just enough that they don’t die but not enough that they’ll try to kill us again,” she said with a lower voice. She looked to Sasuke. “I’m not sure what you did, but it’s done quite a number on them.” She wasn’t sure if she was impressed or terrified, even though she’s always been aware of Sasuke’s abilities.   
“Either way,” Sasuke started, brushing off the last remark, “we still have a mission to complete. We need to get rid of those two so we can be on our way before the reaper kills more people.”  
*******************************************  
It took two days until the Hidden Mist rogues were arrested, especially with the fact that they tried to put up a fight, which wasn’t completely unexpected. Zabuza after all, was one of the Seven Legendary Swordsmen, and Haku was his disciple.  
After bidding Tazuna goodbye, Kakashi had ordered Team 7 to go back to Konoha with the others, but they wouldn’t listen. Especially Naruto, always making a spectacle out of everything. “Kakashi-sensei! Take us with you! Or take me with you! I promise I can help! Please please please!”  
“Naruto! Be quiet!” young Sakura yelled at him.   
“But it’s not fair, Sakura-chan! I didn’t get to meet my older self! What am I like in the future or whatever?!” Naruto kept asking with overenthusiastic curiosity. “Why didn’t I come along with you guys on this mission?”   
The whole room was silent. It appeared that Naruto wasn’t the only one curious about why he wasn’t there.   
Sakura considered whether she should tell him the truth or not. Before she could make a decision, Sasuke spoke up. “You had to stay with your pregnant wife,” he said deadpan.  
The young Sakura blinked in surprise, and even the young Uchiha’s face changed, having a hard time believing that the same moron standing next to him right now manages to get married. Kakashi’s eye filled with warmth, and one could tell he was smiling under his mask.  
Naruto stood there wide-eyed, his mouth agape, a look of disbelief taking over his face, his eyes softening making him look like he was on the verge of crying. “Wife, huh?” the words almost sounded like a whisper.   
Before he could be asked anymore questions, Sasuke huffed and turned around to leave. He stopped though, and looked back at the twelve year-old him. “Uchiha,” he said with his deep voice, sending a shiver down everyone’s spine, including the youngster of himself. “Forget about Itachi,” he said with conviction, then continued his way.   
Kakashi looked at him curiously, trying to guess what he might have meant by that. After a moment of shock on young Sasuke’s part, at the realization that his clan was murdered by his brother in the other world too, he called after himself. “Nani?!” he said, sounding incredulous. There was no way that guy had any idea what the hell he was talking about.   
“Oi, Uchiha, come back here!” he yelled, his rage slowly getting the better of him as he tried to chase after him. Kakashi and the medic-nin both stopped him, asking him to calm down, all while the other Sasuke kept walking, hiding his eyes behind the shadows of his loose hair strands. It’s been years already, but the memory of Itachi still stung the dark man deeply.  
“That’s enough time wasted,” Kakashi declared. “The other ninjas just left. Go back with them to Konoha, and don’t bother arguing with me. That’s an order.”  
Naruto complied, since he was still lost in his thoughts, and the long-haired girl looked at Sasuke before she made her way out. Sasuke was still raging, so she left him for Kakashi to deal with him, just like he’s always done.   
The older cherry-blossom took this chance to give herself a piece of advice. “Sakura,” she called out, her voice soft.   
“Hai?”  
The medical kinoichi looked at her with determined eyes and a proud smile. “Don’t ever give up on becoming stronger,” she said. “You can do it. Just make sure to cut your hair. Long hair gets in the way of the best kinoichis.”  
The young cherry blossom’s eyes sparkled at her words, and reflected the same proud, excited smile. “Hai!”  
*********************************************  
Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi finally made it to the equivalent spot of where the reaper was in the other dimension. The three ninjas took their places, getting ready to perform the jutsu Sasuke had just taught them. “Everyone know what to do?” Sasuke asked one last time. The other two ninjas nodded.  
“Let us begin.”  
The trio all bit the tip of their thumbs, took out their scrolls, and started weaving their hand signs. A second before they touched the ground, Sasuke teleported the three of them back to the exact same moment of the attack from three days ago.  
The travel was a success, and they placed their hands on the ground instantly activating the jutsu, trapping the reaper between their net. The reaper resisted, so they started weaving their one-handed signs to increase the pressure around the monster. They finally activated the third phase of the jutsu, where snake-like threads of chakra wrapped around the reaper, holding him in place with a tight grip as the chakra transferred out of him.   
As the reaper fought to keep the last bit of chakra inside him, Sasuke ordered them to let go. “Sakura, now!” he yelled.  
A mere second after he dropped to the floor, he was met with Sakura’s fists in guts. The ground broke below them, and Kakashi and Sasuke had to jump back to get out of the way. Sakura kept punching the unfortunate body, till the reaper was completely out of souls, including his own.   
Kakashi was about to make a comment to Sasuke, but he held it off for a second when he saw the look on his face. He was smirking, a proud expression in his features as he watched Sakura beat the hell out of the guy.  
It was almost like it was turning him on.   
After Sakura was done with the body, Sasuke and Kakashi met her in what used to be a ground.  
“I think this is my que,” was all Kakashi had to say.  
“Go ahead Sasuke-kun, take him back quickly so we can report back to our Kakashi-sensi.”  
“Nani? Why do you have to report back to me for an investigative mission? That’s supposed to be the Hokage’s business.”  
“Precisely,” Sakura said with an amused closed-eye smile. “Ja-neh, Rokudaime Hokage.”  
And with that, Kakashi went back to his world, left to ponder upon who became the Fifth Hokage, and who the hell thought it was a good idea to make him the Sixth.


	7. Success

“You guys completed the mission in record time,” Kakashi said, almost sounding impressed.

“It’s just because Sasuke-kun was familiar with the reaper already,” Sakura clarified.

“Reaper, huh?”

“Just another idiot striving after immortality and power,” Sasuke said deadpan. Sakura looked at him intently, and she could tell Kakashi was doing the same thing she was. They were both almost reminiscing on the old Sasuke, remembering how hostile he used to be, and how he would have done anything to achieve power.

But that Sasuke is gone. For the most part at least.

“Either way, I’m sure I’m not the only one relieved that the problem is solved. Well done,” the Hokage commended, looking at especially at Sasuke.

“It was a team effort,” Sasuke commented before walking out.

                             **************************************************

It was sunset time, and the streets of Konoha were relatively quiet. Everyone was either at home eating dinner with their family, or serving dinner at their restaurant.

Doing neither, the two ninjas who had just returned from their mission walked aimlessly in the streets of their home, exhausted from the trip. They spoke of trivial things, old memories, and future expectations. That is, until Sakura’s stomach started growling.

“Ne, Sasuke-kun, want to go eat somewhere?” she asked, a little embarrassed. Sasuke looked at her, a little smile playing at his lips, and agreed. “Sure.”

“Where shall we go eat then? Actually, isn’t Ichiraku’s Ramen close to here…?”

“We can go eat there if you want.” Sakura smiled at his agreeableness, and they both made their way to the famous ramen place. She smiled at the memory of how many times she’d seen Naruto sitting there eating plates and plates of the noodles over the years.

She was about to suggest to Sasuke to invite Naruto, but then she thought better of it—because Naruto needs to stay by Hinata’s side of course, not because Sakura wanted to have some quality time with Sasuke or anything.

The two Shinobis walked into the restaurant. “Konnichiwa Teuchi-san,” Sakura greeted.

“Konnichiwa Sakura-san!” the old man replied. “The usual order?”

“Hai! What about you Sasuke-kun?”

“I’ll have what you’re having.”

“Alright then. Make that two, please,” she told Teuchi. The elder nodded his headed absently, as he was too busy looking at Sasuke with a frown. After a few short moments, he turned around to go make their orders.

A small knot formed in the pit of the cherry blossom’s stomach. Obviously she knew that everyone was aware about Sasuke’s past actions, but she didn’t think that they’d still be holding a grudge after so many years. It truly hurt Sakura’s heart.

She looked at the Uchiha seated next to her. He didn’t seem to notice what had just happened, to her relief. Still, she felt quite bothered.

“Is something wrong, Sakura?” the tall man asked her with a concerned face.

“Eyeuh, everything’s…I’m just really happy you’re here, Sasuke-kun.”

A slight blush crept up on Sasuke’s face as he looked away. “Arigato, Sakura.” He looked back at her, a genuine smile lighting up his face, taking away any terrifying effect his Rinnegan might have to an average person.

 _Damn, Sasuke was beautiful_. It was the original reason Sakura was always drawn to him since her childhood. But after being on the same team with him, after being protected by him, and after fighting side by side with him…she fell in love with Sasuke’s entire being. It still surprised her how he made her feel, after everything that’s happened…even after trying to kill each other when he was in the very pit of darkness.

But that’s all gone now, and Sakura still loves Sasuke all the same and then some.

“Here’s your order, Sakura-san.” Teuchi’s daughter, Ayame, placed the bowl of noodles with sliced eggs and chicken chops in front of her with a smile. Her smile slightly faded when she served the duplicate order to Sasuke. “Your food, Uchiha-san,” she said suspiciously. Sasuke didn’t comment.

Sakura’s inner conscious raged. Why can’t they leave him alone?

She tried to push her thoughts away and calm her anger. She looked at the raven-haired man, and tried to start another conversation with him. “So, have you decided to stay in Konoha for good?”

Sasuke took a few more bites of noodles as he pondered on the pink-haired ninja’s answer. “I don’t know yet,” he answered honestly. “It depends. There’s still a lot to see out there in the world…and...Konoha still feels a little strange to me. Like I don’t belong here.”

“You will always have a place here,” Sakura asserted with conviction. “Always remember that, Sasuke-kun. Please.”

The statement made the dark man blush yet again. He let his hair fall on his face in an attempt to hide his expression, just like he always did when he spoke to Sakura. Ever since their earlier days, Sakura always managed to see straight through Sasuke. It unnerved him, which is why he could barely ever look her in the eye when he spoke of things that mattered to him. On the other hand, it gave him an unfamiliar feeling of warmth; the fact that someone could always understand him the way Sakura did.

“Huh (yeah),” he nodded.

                            *************************************************

They two ninjas finished their meals, and made their way through the darker night. Sakura was delighted to be spending this much time with her old comrade, making up for lost-and painful-time. Sasuke was quite at ease as well-although he’d never outwardly admit it-thanks to Sakura and Kakashi’s warm welcoming of him.

“Where to now?” Sakura wondered out loud.

“I’m going to make a stop at Naruto’s,” Sasuke replied evenly.

“Mm. I think I’m going to go home and get some rest. If you need anything, you know where to find me.” At that, Sasuke turned around and walked closer towards his friend. “Huh. I’ll see you later,” he said, mimicking the same forehead gesture he’d done earlier with his two fingers. Sakura wasn’t sure why Sasuke was so fond of the gesture, but she didn’t care. It made her heart jump every time.

But Sakura wasn’t the only one parting ways on a happy note.


	8. Outcast

The night was young. The black sky was clear with a few stars twinkling here and there, giving the darkness some light and life.

In the back of his mind, the night sky reminded Uchiha Sasuke of himself and who he used to be. He found himself contemplating upon the sky a lot during his travels, when he would have to make camp in the middle of nowhere to get some rest. Traveling alone, the sky was really the only companionship he had.

He had wished he thought of the night more often. Even in pitch darkness, the moon and the stars found way for some light. Perhaps if he’d searched for them sooner, maybe, just maybe, his onii-chan would still be alive right now.

But there was no point in dwelling over that right now. All he needed to know was that his brother loved him till his last breath. It made him feel a little better, just a little, but he didn’t know if he was ever going to get rid of the guilt that weigh heavy in his heart.

Feeling his mind dragging him to a place he wasn’t ready to go, the raven-haired man decided to go visit the closest person he had to a brother.

He walked through Konoha and made his way to the house facing the statues of the great Hokages. He sensed that Naruto had guests and hesitated whether he should knock or not, but he did so anyways.

A very comfortable Naruto opened the door. He was wearing a white t-shirt and sweatpants, and the forehead protector that was usually there was missing.

Naruto’s face immediately lit up at seeing his best friend. “Sasuke! You came dattebayou! Come on in!”

Sasuke silently obliged, and walked into his friend’s home.

All the old teams were there, sitting on Naruto’s couch and floor. As soon as they saw Sasuke, a heavy silence started filling the room.

“Hmmph. Looks like party’s over then,” Kiba scoffed.

“Yeah, I’m done,” agreed Choji, biting his last chip.

“Kiba, Choji. Don’t,” warned a relaxed Shikamaru. He sighed, then got up to his feet and walked towards Sasuke. “Welcome back to Konoha, Sasuke.” He extended his hand to him, and Sasuke blinked a few times before he decided to take his hand.

“Hai. Konbonwa, Uchiha-san,” said Sai somewhere in the back. Sasuke didn’t say anything; he simply looked to Naruto and told him he’d drop by later. Naruto begged him to stay, but Sasuke insisted he should leave.

The Uchiha wasn’t surprised really. He would probably act the same way if he were in there shoes, especially after everything he’d done. It’s only because Naruto is Naruto that he’d forgiven him, and Kakashi was his old trainer, and Sakura…well, she’s Sakura.

Without really thinking about it, he found himself headed in the direction of the medic-nin’s house.

He thought twice about seeing here, but he was sure she wouldn’t mind his unprecedented visit. It was Sakura after all.

He jumped up to her balcony, nearly startling the pink-haired ninja. She opened the glass door, surprise written all over her face. “Sasuke-kun? What are you doing here?”

“I…needed to talk to you.”

Blushing slightly, the cherry blossom girl invited the man in her balcony into her room. “Um, is everything okay?”

Sasuke didn’t answer. He continued to stare at the sky, then he finally turned to Sakura. “I think I’m going to leave Konoha.”


	9. All You Need

_“I’m going to leave Konoha.”_

_“I’m still considered a criminal.”_

_“There’s nothing for me here.”_

Sasuke’s words echoed in Sakura’s mind, his words cutting deeper every time. She had no idea why he had a sudden change of heart, but what hurt her the most was that he still didn’t take her into consideration before making a decision like that…again.

She laid in her bed staring emptily at the ceiling, sulking.

 _History really does repeat itself, doesn’t it?_ She thought to herself. _I guess it’s inevitable._

She turned on her side, hugging herself tightly as she slowly gave into the sadness. She closed her eyes and started mentally skimming through all the times her and Sasuke had shared together, all the happiness, pain, sacrifice…

She snapped her eyes open and sat up.

This situation was getting all too familiar.

It’s true that history repeats itself, but only because nobody ever tries to change it. Everyone accepts the fact and sits around waiting for their supposedly inevitable fates.

No. She wasn’t going to let this happen again.

She wasn’t going to let Sasuke get away and leave her behind once more.

With utter determination, the legendary kinoichi quickly hopped all the rooftops and made her way to the Uchiha house. She stood there and faced the door, and for the first time in a long time, she had no doubt that what she was about to do was the right thing.

She took a deep breath and reached her hand forward and knocked.

Moments later, the dark haired man she loved oh so much opened the door, looking slightly surprised.

“Sakura? What are you doing here?”

“Please let me in, Sasuke-kun.”

Sasuke blinked, but obliged the order nonetheless. He was about to say something, but his old teammate beat him to it.

With her back turned to him, she started speaking with a low, careful voice. “Do you remember, Sasuke-kun? Do you remember Naruto, and how the village used to treat him?”

“He was just a child. A poor, lonely child with no parents, and everyone treated him like he was a criminal because he had the nine-tails fox in him.”

“Why are you telling me this, Sakura?”

She turned around, her eyes glimmering. “Because!” she yelled. “Don’t you remember what Naruto said at the Land of Tea? All you need is one person! Just one! One person to respect and care about you, one person to l—one person to love you. That’s all.”

She was on the verge of crying, but she held back her tears, and continued, her voice bouncing off the walls of the empty house. “I will be that person for you, Sasuke-kun. If you let me. I…” she looked down, a small teardrop betraying her. “I have loved you to the point of madness!” she cried. “So if you’re going to leave…you’re not going without me.”

Sasuke stood there, taking in the person standing before him. He really didn’t get it till now; he didn’t understand how Sakura could still feel so strongly for him after all this time. He lowered his eyes and looked to the side, unsure what to say.

So he decided not to say anything.

He took a few steps forward, and to Sakura’s surprise, Sasuke’s arms were suddenly wrapped around her-as well as he could with one and a half arms-embracing her in a tight hug.

“Arigato,” the raven-haired man whispered. “Arigato, Sakura.”

The pink-haired ninja couldn’t hold back anymore, and so she let her tears run free as she wrapped her own arms around Sasuke.

It was a unique moment for Sakura; and Sasuke as well. Sakura’s breath shallowed the longer time went on, yet at the same time, she felt the weight of the whole world fall off her shoulder-a weight she’s been carrying for far too long-making it easier for her to breathe again.

Sasuke felt the same way. He couldn’t remember the last time he didn’t have to worry about the image of his clan, about his revenge, about people’s expectations of the last Uchiha. But here he was, with one of the only individuals on the face of the planet who couldn’t care less about his past, and only looked forward to his future.


	10. A New Journey

Sakura stood in Sasuke’s kitchen preparing food. It was a strange feeling, being so comfortable at his house, but she loved it.

Out of the corner of his eye, the owner of the house peeked at the woman standing in his kitchen. Sakura didn’t see, but Sasuke was smiling then. He really wasn’t alone anymore, and possibly never was.

When the food was done, the cherry blossom girl brought the tray to the single table in the house. She carefully took a seat next to Sasuke, and together they reached out and started munching on their rice balls.

“Sakura,” the Uchiha called out. “I know you don’t want me to leave, but…I want to travel again. The world just seems so small in this village.”

Sakura stared out the window and swallowed the last bite of food. “You’re not wrong…I mean, if I can come with you…”

Sasuke blinked, then gave her a warm smile. It was a rare phenomenon, but when it did happen, his smile felt like it could light all of Konoha’s leaves on fire.

“I’m going to go wash my hands,” Sakura announced. She just mostly needed some privacy though, so she could high five her inner self for getting Sasuke to agree on her accompanying him. She was blushing like a school girl, and she needed a minute to calm herself down.

After washing her hands and face, she came out to an empty living room. “Sasuke-kun?”

There was no reply.

She started going through the rooms looking for him, but she got distracted by a picture placed in one of them—the Team Seven group picture. She picked it up, and slowly ran her thumb over the faces of everyone in the photo. It felt like ages ago that they’d taken that picture, but she was more surprised that Sasuke still had it at all.

“Interesting how things change, huh?” a deep voice came from behind her. She was slightly startled, but the face of the Uchiha immediately told her she had nothing to worry about. “Yeah. I didn’t even think you’d still have this.”

Sasuke looked at her, then at the framed photo in her hand. “Yeah, me neither. Anyways, I’m planning on leaving in three days. Make sure you’re ready by then.”


	11. My Own

The three days of packing were the longest three days of Sakura’s life. She couldn’t stop going on to her parents about how she was going to break out of her shell and see the world with Sasuke-kun. Her parents were stoked that things were finally going well with her and the Uchiha, but they warned her to take care of herself nonetheless.

It was finally time. The pink-haired ninja carried her bag and left her house, heading for the Konoha gate to meet Sasuke. She hugged her parents and told them she’ll see them soon.

When she got to the gate, Sasuke had just arrived. He looked up and saw her, and a smile appeared on his face.

_Stay cool, Sakura. Don’t freak out and fangirl like crazy_.

“Ohiou Sasuke-kun,” she greeted. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah. Are _you_ sure about this?”

“More sure than I’ve ever been,” she said with a bright, wide smile. “Do you know where we’re going?”

“Yes I do. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

                                 ****************************************

After hours of getting through the trees engulfing Konohagakure and walking for miles without rest, the two ninjas saw a village coming into view from a distance. As they got closer to it, Sasuke started to recognize the architecture. “I’ve been here before,” he told Sakura.

“Really, you have? What was the town called?”

“Akaigawa. Its people were generous, but they were going through an economic crisis at the time.”

“I hope things got better, though it doesn’t look like it..” she added.

“Yeah, me too.”

The small town felt dead and gloomy under the sunset, the high buildings that were once colorful and lively now had their paint chipping off. There were houses that were torn down, and others that were under construction.

Even in the market place, there was barely anyone buying and the vendors looked sad. There were homeless children in every corner, some digging in the trash cans and others sleeping on the ground, seemingly waiting to die.

Sakura’s eyes softened at the sight, her eyebrows furrowing at the thought that people were barely surviving here. Sasuke was bothered too, but of course, his expression was unreadable as always.

Suddenly, Sasuke’s fist was moving towards Sakura, and confused as she was, she didn’t move until she realized Sasuke was trying to punch someone behind her.

The man fell on one of the fruit stands, then scurried to his feet and tried to aim the large wooden stick in his hand at Sakura. Before he could, the Uchiha was already in front of her breaking the stick in half like it was nothing. Suddenly the man took notice of the Uchiha’s Rinnegan eye and quickly turned the other way.

“Wait!” Sakura yelled at the escapee. “Stop running!”

The man looked back at her and slowed down but didn’t stop completely, so Sakura had to jog after him. “Why were you trying to attack me?” she called after him.

The man came to a halt and turned around, his eyes solemn and tired. He looked down, as if ashamed of himself, and started speaking in a low voice.

“I can no longer afford to put food on the table for my family,” he explained. “So I was trying to steal your pack.”

Sakura wasn’t surprised, but her heart still hurt nonetheless, and it showed on her face. Sasuke watched her closely as she took out her wallet and handed the man a large amount of money. “Next time, just ask for help nicely old man,” she told the stranger with a smile. “I hope things get better for you soon.”

The older man looked like he was on the brink of tears, but he managed to conserve the last shred of dignity he had in front of the medic-nin. “A-arigato.” The cherry blossom didn’t say anything; she just smiled gladly and walked away. The Uchiha on the other hand gave the man another glare before turning around and seeing Sakura running. She stopped at the fruit stand the man had fallen over earlier, and she apologized to him. Not only that, but she started helping the owners pick up what had fallen and organize them in a clean, evenly order once again.

Sasuke caught up and started helping out as well-as well as he could with one arm-but he was dumb struck by what had just happened.

His entire life, he’d been conditioned to be hostile towards anyone who attempts to hurt him or those he cares about. His first instinct is to fight; to attack and ask questions later. But for Sakura, it was different. She always took the time to try and figure out the heart of the problem before judging a person solely based on their actions without knowing the full story.

_It makes sense,_ he thought, as he looked at the kind girl in front of him. _How else would she be standing here next to me after everything I’ve done?_

                             *******************************************

It was already getting dark, and the two shinobis were exhausted from their journey. It’d been a long, relatively eventful day after all, so rest was the only option they had at the moment. Sasuke walked them both to the same inn he’d stayed at the last time he was in town. It wasn’t much, but it would do.

“Sorry, we only have a single-bed room left that’s not occupied,” the man at the front desk informed them. “Are you sure?” Sakura asked, a little blush creeping onto her cheeks.

“Yep.”

Slightly blushing himself, Sasuke remembered that there were no other inns or hotels nearby. “Sakura…it’s okay. Let’s just get some rest.”

                                *******************************************

The room was small and simple. There was a bed in the middle of the room covered with white sheets and a white blanket, a night stand, a small table, and a door that probably led to the bathroom. The two ninjas placed their backpacks on the floor and took off their cloaks. Sakura dug for her pajamas while Sasuke looked out the window at the moon. It was a night of a full moon he noted to himself.

Sakura’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. “Umm, I guess I’ll just change in the bathroom then,” she said, avoiding eye contact. The gesture made Sasuke slightly embarrassed as well, though he wasn’t quite sure why. “O-okay.”

As the cherry blossom took her time in the bathroom, Sasuke quickly changed as well. He’d gotten used to doing things with a single arm by now, but sometimes it could get a little inconvenient.

Sakura stepped out of the restroom wearing white shorts and a long sleeve green shirt that matched her eyes. She was still blushing when Sasuke offered to sleep on the floor. “No no, it’s okay, I, um, the bed is big enough for two I think.”

“Okay,” Sasuke said without trying to make much of an argument, and still avoiding Sakura’s eyes.

They climbed into bed, each taking the extreme side. They tried to distribute the blanket evenly between them, but the blanket was too small.

They got closer together as Sakura awkwardly chuckled, her body setting on fire by the second.

_Thank you blanket,_ a small voice called somewhere in the back of Sakura’s mind.

“Well, goodnight then Sasuke-kun,” she told the Uchiha as their backs faced each other. “Yeah, goodnight,” he replied as he reached for the lamp on the nightstand and turned it off.

It was about thirty minutes when Sakura checked to see if the man lying next to her was sleeping or not. “Sasuke-kun, are you still awake?”

“Yes I am. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I just…needed to tell you something.” With that, the dark-haired man rolled over to his back.

“Thanks for defending me today,” Sakura began. “I really appreciate it. But…from now on Sasuke-kun, please give me a chance to take care of myself. I can hold my own now; I’m not the same, weak little girl from back then.”

She couldn’t see it, but Sasuke was smiling. “No you’re not,” he agreed, and now she was smiling too. Now that she’d gotten that out of the way, the exhaustion slowly took over her body and it was easier to fall asleep. Not Sasuke though, his mind was still too busy with the full moon out the window.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he was finally getting tired and sleepy. He turned onto his left arm and saw Sakura facing him in her peaceful sleep. Her short, pink strands fell on her eyes, and Sasuke couldn’t resist fixing them for her. He reached out his fingers and slowly put the silky strands of hair behind the sleeping beauty’s ear in an effort to not wake her.

It was a special moment for the last Uchiha. The scene in front of him right now, a beautiful woman lying next to him under the moon light; it was beginning to awaken something in him that he’d been afraid of since he’d seen the bodies of his dead parents lying there on the cold floor. He was slowly falling under the spell of craving a type of affection and feeling that didn’t consume him with darkness and wrath. He wanted a new type of bond, one similar yet different than the one he had with his dear brother.

He didn’t realize it then, but Sasuke was falling back in place with the rest of the human race. His inner desires no longer consisted of revenge, but of the very fundamental instinct that every human struggled with their entire lives: to love, and be loved.


	12. Hostage

The following days, the two partners traveled further and further from civilization, till they reached the vast deserts of the country. They’d camped in the middle of nowhere, but neither really minded the togetherness in the solitude.

The stars of the night seemed to be their constant companions, illuminating their way and, if they’re going to be honest, always set the mood for them. Sakura noticed her love’s fascination with the stars, and it was very endearing, though she felt a little jealous of the beautiful, burning bodies.

While they lied down in their tent, Sakura took the chance to try and learn simple things about the man she’s loved since childhood.

“Sasuke-kun,” she called. “This may sound weird but…what’s your favorite color?”

Sasuke blinked at the question and then furrowed his brows. “I…I’m not sure. Maybe my clan colors. Or just dark colors in general. Black, perhaps.”

Sakura smiled at the response, because it was so like him. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was expecting, but what she got was just about right. “And what’s your favorite food?”

“Rice balls…Kaa-san used to make them really well, so they’ve been my favorite ever since.”

Sakura’s eyes softened at the statement. She was a bit taken back, because she knew the Uchiha man rarely ever spoke of his family. It was endearing to her and made her heart skip a beat that he’d tell her something like this, which means she’s earning his trust.

“I may not be able to make them as good, but I’ll definitely do my best,” she reassured the dark haired man. “…if you let me.” The man turned his head towards the cherry blossom, his face barely visible through the darkness of the night illuminated by the fire a few feet away from their tent. Still, Sakura could see that Sasuke was looking at her with yet another heart stopping smile. It made her glad that Sasuke was a man of action more than words, especially when it meant she’d get to see that stunning smile more often.

They’d finally decided they should go to sleep so that they’d have enough energy to continue their travels the next day. Hours passed, and for whatever reason, Sasuke sensed Sakura being uneasy. He got up to check on her, and noticed that she still seemed a bit cold. He looked around the tent and grabbed his cloak with his good arm, and went ahead and wrapped Sakura in it, tucking it in around her neck especially. He noticed her hair straying over her eyes again, and slid them back behind her ear. When the pink-haired girl seemed less chilly, the Uchiha went back to sleep soundly.

The next morning, Sakura woke up feeling brand. She didn’t know why, but that was for sure the best sleep she’s had in God knows how long. She noticed a brown layer of clothing on top of her sleeping bag, and realized it was Sasuke’s clothes. She wondered how it got there, but it wasn’t hard for her to put two and two together quickly. She grabbed the thick cloth and held it to her nose, half smelling it and half trying to cover her idiotic-looking grin.

Her inner self was practically squealing.

The cloth smelled like some sort of fancy cologne, mixed with the scents of all the places they’d been since they’d left Konoha. It reminded her that she should probably step outside quickly and change her clothes before Sasuke got up.

She grabbed her backpack and stepped out of the tent. She took out her kunai pouch and put it aside as she looked for something to wear. But before she could get to that, she felt something weird.

Someone was there.

She turned around in a split second and air punched away the wave of flying knives that were coming at her. They started coming from every direction, and at that point Sasuke was already out dodging all the knives with his sword.

He used his Rinnegan to scope out how many attackers were around them, and he counted five. “Show yourselves!” he heard Sakura call out.

He went and stood beside her as five men slowly surrounded them. They were wearing fitted clothes colored dark gray, and they were all carrying various weapons. They were all hooded as well, the clothes overshadowing black masks that covered most of their faces, leaving only their mouths exposed. If they didn’t know better, they would have thought the men were a special unit of Anbu or something of the sort.

“Who are you?” inquired one of the attackers, his voice deep and demanding.

“We should ask you the same thing,” Sasuke responded, deadpan.

The man chuckled. “No one has passed through our territory for years, so I think you’re the ones who owe us an introduction.”

“Our territory? I didn’t know the desert was owned by random men in masks,” Sakura shot at them.

The man who appeared to be the leader of the group looked to Sakura, then to Sasuke. “You know, you should teach your woman not to run her mouth like that.”

“You should teach that to yourself first, usuratonkachi,” slowly losing patience with the unidentified men. “Now answer the question. Who are you and why are you here?”

A light breeze came over and shuffled the Uchiha’s hair, exposing his purple eye. Though their faces were covered, it was obvious they were all overcome by curiosity and caution.

All five men took a few steps closer, closing in on the Uchiha and his partner. “Why don’t you come with us,” they suggested, their voice taunting and creepy. The two Konoha ninjas instantly felt the bad vibe that suddenly bounced off, and they had to consider their next move carefully.

They were both thinking along the same lines. They could either fight them off and kill them, which they are perfectly capable of doing, or they could play along and go with them, probably to a lair where the rest of them are, because obviously they come from some sort of organization.

“Let us just get the rest of our things,” Sakura answered for the both of them, her voice steady. They turned around, and after a short moment of being assessed by the men standing in their way, they let them pass.

 _They must be really confident of their abilities if they’d just let us do whatever they want like this_ , thought Sakura. _Just who are they?_

Before Sakura could grab her own cloak, Sasuke grabbed it first then started putting it on her himself. He got really close to her face, enough so that she could hear him whisper into her ears. “Lay low. Don’t attack till we find out more.” She gave him a small nod in response so the other men wouldn’t notice.

They left their tent behind since they probably wouldn’t be needing it again anytime soon. They needed to figure out who these men were, and quickly, since they’ve basically become hostages.

“This way,” the leading man directed. Sakura’s heart was beating a bit too fast at the whole situation. The excitement of the unknown, the possible danger, the fact that it’s all happening while she’s with Sasuke-kun. She knew she had to control that excitement though, in order to stay level-headed and alert. She inhaled slowly then exhaled, putting her mind into focus, the same way Sasuke probably was.


	13. Kuroōkami

It was crazy how the desert could be ice cold at night and blazing hot during the day. For about forty five minutes now, the hooded men had been walking Sakura and Sasuke to an unknown destination. Everyone was soaked in sweat and drowning in their thoughts, trying to read the next move of the person next to them.

The whole situation was quite unsettling. Sasuke was considering blasting them all off already, but he didn’t want to underestimate the shady-looking men even though he was pretty confident in his own abilities, and Sakura’s.

A few more minutes passed, when finally a low building appeared within their visual vicinity. It was the same color as the desert sand, the only thing making it stand out was the red graffiti that splattered across its windows. It was surrounded by cacti and brittle bushes, and a small desert fox leaped from behind them when it heard the footsteps. When they got even closer, they noticed there was water at the rear of the structure.

Sasuke grabbed Sakura’s arm and halted their walking. “We’re not going any further than this,” Sasuke declared.

“Come on now,” the hooded man spoke again. “You already came all the way here. Just meet the boss, and you can be on your way.”

“Your boss can come out here if he wants,” Sakura offered.

“Let’s not argue about this,” the hooded man said with an even voice, trying to mask the threat in his words. “Please, come inside.”

No one said anything.

“Well then, it’s settled.”

                             ***********************************************

The inside of the building was much bigger than it appeared on its outside. It seemed that whoever these people were, they’d taken the time to dig underground and set up a full facility. For what, was the real mystery.

The halls and staircases were all painted dark colors, contrary to the exterior. It made Sasuke feel as if he’d teleported to a completely different dimension. There were too many doors with locks, and for such a big space allegedly full of men, the silence was eerie.

The two ninjas followed the group down to a large room, where their supposed leader was. Upon their entrance, Sasuke and Sakura immediately took notice of the large painting on the wall behind the seated man; the head of a black wolf. Its minimalistic style made it clear it was supposed to symbolize something, in this case, their organization.

The room was unexpectedly formal, with a wooden desk and a library full of books organized alphabetically. The man sitting behind it wasn’t wearing a hood, but his face was still concealed with a black mask that spread from the forehead till below the nose, just like the other men.

The members of the Kurookami pulled back the cloth on their head and quickly got down on one knee, then stood back up. “Ronin-sama,” one of the men began to speak. “We found these two making camp in our territory within a few miles from here. We thought you’d like to meet them, perhaps they could be of some use to us.”

“Nani?!” Sakura exclaimed. “What are you talking about? We agreed to no such thing.”

Ronin-sama was wondering as well what his men were going on about, then he took notice of the diamond on Sakura’s forehead and of course, Sasuke’s eye.

_Naruhudo. That makes sense._

The man stood up. “Either way, what would someone like you be doing the in middle of the desert?”

“That’s precisely what I was wondering about you guys,” Sasuke responded casually.

“As you can see, we have business here. And it’s much easier to build on land no one wants than to go through obnoxious formalities in the city.” The Uchiha and his partner still weren’t convinced.

“Fine then. By all means, we’re not looking for any trouble, so we’ll just be on our way. Let’s go, Sakura.”

No one in the room said anything this time as the two shinobi left, since they were waiting for precise orders from their boss. It was bemusing that Sasuke was so assertive and seemingly unfazed by their organization. But they knew better than that.

“Ryuu, Sadao, follow them.”

They might have known better, but so did Sasuke and Sakura.

                                      *********************************

“We’re going to have to hide out here until sunset,” Sasuke told Sakura as they settled behind a rocky high ground. “Then we’ll go back and try to find out what the hell they’re really doing there.”

As soon as Sasuke and Sakura had left that room, Sasuke immediately teleported them both out the lair completely, which caught the Kurookami off guard. It was going to take them a while to find them.

Meanwhile, Sakura was nearly suffocating from the heat, especially in an enclosed space. She was still in her pajamas, a long sleeve green shirt and a pair of shorts, and she needed to be wearing anything but long sleeves.

She grabbed her sleeveless pink top from her bag, and excused herself from Sasuke for a brief moment. Sasuke was confused, until Sakura came back in with a different shirt.

“Man, I wish we could have stayed by that oasis back there. This heat is awful.”

“Water is the first place they’d look for us, so we can’t risk it….Are you alright?”

“Mm. I’m fine…Speaking of oases, did you notice the one that was right behind the Kurookami’s place?”

“Yeah. That much water is hard to miss.”

“I know but, did it seem a bit strange to you?”

“Why, did you notice something?”

“I think so…I feel like I’ve seen water like that before, but I can’t remember where. Either way, we’ll probably know more once we infiltrate the building.”

“Exactly. I’m also curious to know why almost every room would need a lock _and_ a seal.”

“And why they call themselves the “Black” Wolves. “Desert” Wolves would make more sense, wouldn’t it?”

“Perhaps they don’t want to be mistaken for Sand Village shinobi. Nothing about them really makes much sense in the first place. It’s unsettling.”

Sakura nodded as she rested her head against the hard rock and closed her eyes, trying to think this through. Sasuke was doing the same, and they say in silence for a few moments.

“Sasuke-kun, are you sure we should we should get ourselves involved with them?”

The man pondered the question for an instant, then replied with an affirmative. “If something foul’s going on over there, I’d like to at least know what it is. We have nothing to lose.” Of course, neither of them knew that for sure, but as of right now, the Uchiha wasn’t mistaken.

Time passed by and the two ninjas decided they should start recharging their energy. They took out the food they got from their last stop, and rationed the little water they had left. After taking turns with naps, the night sky had finally welcomed itself back over the desert horizon.

“Ready?” Sakura asked her partner.

“Let’s do this.”

                              *********************************************

After taking the form of Kurookami members, the two Konoha shinobi snuck into the facility the same way they snuck out earlier. The place was quiet, and no one was to be seen, so they made extra sure their footsteps were inaudible.

Getting into the sealed rooms was just as easy, which made them even more suspicious and worried. But they couldn’t think much about that, especially when they finally saw what was inside.

The room was dark, the only source of light was the fluorescent liquid in the large containers that were lined against the walls. In each container was a child, no older than six or seven years old. They were completely nude except for their privates, but one wouldn’t be able to think much about that considering all the tubes that were attached to the children. They were tied from their wrists as if about to be crucified, the only thing seemingly keeping them alive-if one can call that living-was the tube in their mouths.

“What…is this…” Sakura whispered, completely bewildered.

Shocked by the scene as well, Sasuke tried to get a closer at every individual, trying to figure out what they have in common that would have caused them to end up in that place.

“Sasuke-kun,” Sakura called out quietly. “Something’s not right. If they’re trying to hide something like this, it can’t be this easy to just break in here.”

“Yeah, you’re right…let’s get out of here for now.” He reached for Sakura’s arm and tried to teleport out of the room, except it didn’t work.

“What the hell?!” Sasuke muttered under his breath. He tried again, but nothing was happening.

The pink haired ninja kept turning her gears, until it finally hit her. “The seal!” she exclaimed. “I think it’s draining our chakra. It makes sense if they’re trying to make sure these people can’t ever escape. So if you just use more chakra than you normally do with your Rinnegan, we could probably get out of here.”

“Got it.” The Uchiha closed his eyes and focused his chakra. It was still taking longer than it should.

“Maybe if we stop using the transformation jutsu it’ll be easier? So we don’t waste chakra?” Sakura suggested. Back to their original forms, Sasuke made another attempt and finally, they were out.

Suddenly, a high-pitched screeching sound came from the bottom floors, startling both the Uchiha and the cherry blossom. What was that? An animal?

Remaining unseen, Sasuke and Sakura looked down only to find two masked men dragging a raging human.

A child.

Except it wasn’t a normal child. Its eyes were completely white and bleeding non-stop, and the skin looked like it had suffered multiple fourth degree burns.

One of the men waved his hand and from the sound of it, two doors flew open. Sasuke and Sakura followed them, only to see the two men throwing the little boy into the oasis behind the building.

Except when they did, the stench of smoke and burning flesh immediately filled the air.

Before they could risk being seen by the two men, they quickly teleported to a different floor. One of the men felt like something was off, but he didn’t seem to dwell on it too much.

Sakura took a deep breath as silently as she could. Her eyebrows were furrowed, clearly reflecting how disturbed she was. As a shinobi, she’d seen a lot of things in her life, but this was something else. This was worse, because it’s always worse when children are victimized.

“Acid oasis,” she whispered. “I knew that water didn’t look right.”

“How can you be sure?” Sasuke asked.

“When Obito and I were trying to retrieve you from other dimension during the war, one of the portals we opened had a sea of acid that burned my arm. The water back there looks the same. I can’t believe I forgot.”

“We need to get out of here,” Sasuke declared.

“Too bad no one’s going anywhere,” a deep voice called from behind.


	14. Face Off

“I don’t know if you’re a complete idiot, or just a cocky son of a bitch to come back here like this… _Uchiha Sasuke_!”

 _So they figured out who I am_ , Sasuke quickly noted to himself as five other members of the organization appeared before him and Sakura. They ran towards them to launch an attack, but the two Sannins were quickly out of the way.

The deep-voiced man took another go at Sasuke only to be met by Sakura’s raging expression and fists. Before he knew what hit him, literally, he was already displaced god knows how many feet away from where he was just standing. With his back to the ground, the pink haired woman popped up in front of him yet again, but this time he had a few seconds to spare in order to dodge her attacks. _What the hell kind of ridiculous strength is this anyways_ , he wondered at the back of his mind.

“Since the moment you’ve set eyes on me, you’ve been underestimating me!” the kinoichi howled, her eyes fiery, full of a mixture of determination and fury. “Take that you misogynistic asshole!”

He suffered a few more brutal beatings before he decided he was sick of the humiliation. He quickly weaved some hand signs for a water jutsu, creating an assembly of spinning water swords and directed them towards Sakura. She easily dodged his attacks, moving swiftly, left and right in an almost dance-like motion. The Black Wolf in return weaved another set of signs, manipulating both air and water this time. The swords became frigid and razor-edged, one of them barely nicking Sakura’s cloak. He gradually increased the number of weapons with each charge, finally sending a ginormous hoard of icicles that took a little more than average effort to dodge and counter attack.

Sakura was impressed, really, that he could summon so much water for his justsu in a desert, with no apparent water sources nearby, except—the oasis.

Before the Kurookami could make his next move, to his surprise, Sakura started running away.

He started chuckling hysterically. “Are you trying to prove me right about you being a coward?! What a lovely surprise!”

With her back to him, Sakura halted in her step then slightly turned her head, peeking at the man with a smirk on her face. “Me? A coward? You’re the nameless nobody hiding behind a mask!”

With that, she continued scurrying away, leaving the man still amused at her actions and words. He followed her with a renewed excitement, his body itching to tear the little thing apart.

The pink haired kinoichi hadn’t gone far. In fact, a slight glimpse of panic crossed her green eyes as she scanned her surroundings, which only made the man laugh even more. “This is far too entertaining, so I’m going to give you a surprise,” he taunted.

He slowly walked towards Sakura as he reached for his mask to reveal his face. He had a deep scar, as if someone had peeled his skin off after a major burn. It made it hard to pinpoint his age, but that wasn’t relevant at the moment.

“I am Akio of the Kurookami. Now you know my name, my face behind the mask, yet you will still die a coward.” Akio dashed towards Sakura and was right in front of her in less than a second, immediately inducing a hand to hand combat. For whatever reason, he seemed faster than before, and his scar made him all the more intimidating and blood thirsty.

But it was nothing Sakura couldn’t handle. Her fast reflexes aided her as usual, but what she needed to do was get away from the sand since Akio manipulated natural elements for his jutsus.

Running towards him preparing for a major impact, Sakura blatantly aimed her fist towards the man, only to quickly duck to the ground and twirl, allowing her to slightly trip Akio. Even though he predicted her move, she still caused him to lose his balance in which Sakura took advantage of. Still on the ground, she punched him in the abdomen then hopped up and aimed for a kick that she missed, but resulted in the ground shattering.

Akio disappeared from sight as a snake-like figure wrapped Sakura from behind and tossed her across the sand. She ended up a few feet away from the oasis, wheezing and coughing from the sand that had involuntarily entered her respiratory system.

Akio chose that moment to show himself to Sakura, standing a few yards away. “Dry throat?” he sneered. “Why don’t you have a drink?”

Sakura spit out the last of the sand and regrouped herself to get back into combat mode. She stood up as the Kurookami member approached her yet again, like an animal sniffing out its prey before the attack.

She stood there composed, taking a deep breath with her eyes closed, refocusing her mind. _Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale._

The medic-nin opened her eyes fully ready to strike. She ran towards Akio whose eyes were-closed? Why were his eyes closed?

With Sakura mid-sprint, Akio opened his eyes, unveiling a pair of glowing, neon blue irises with red in place of his eye whites. Not only that, but Sakura’s own body stopped moving, even though she didn’t remember telling it to do so.

Because it was Akio that did.

She struggled against her body’s wishes, but it was no use. She couldn’t move her limbs, and her eyes felt just as paralyzed; looking in no direction other than the man’s strange eyes as if they were locked together by an invisible chain.

“Neat, isn’t it?” Akio said, sounding even more antagonistic than he did before. “This is….my Kekkei Genkai.”


	15. Mind Games

“K-kekkei Genkai?” Sakura repeated with a stutter, still trying to grasp control over her own body. She’d never seen eyes similar to those of the man before, or even read about them. What the hell was he going on about?

“With my Settoku, I have the ability to control your mind and thus your body as well. Call it involuntary persuasion.”

Persuasion, huh? Whatever it was, Sakura needed to break away from its effects, and fast, so she started mentally analyzing the jutsu. Akio’s words couldn’t help but remind her of Ino’s mind transfer jutsu, but this felt different. Perhaps it was like the Nara clan’s shadow possession? There had to be a weakness.

“There’s no point of resisting; you’re completely done for.” At the same moment the Kurookami man uttered those words, a loud rumble resonated from behind them causing the Earth to quiver beneath them and make them wobble. Sakura no longer felt the jutsu’s effect and out of confusion, she looked back at Akio—and that’s when she figured it out; though she fell back under the numbing jutsu again.

She robotically stood up as the blue eyes commanded, and to her despair, her own legs were leading her to the oasis.

The acid oasis, that is.

                               ******************************************

Meanwhile, Sasuke battled fiercely against the rest of the masked men. He’d already put most of them down, so he was just dealing with the persistent ones that refused to give up. He was almost bored; since he just wanted to find Sakura and ditch the place.

 They was strange though; the Kurookami. Their hand signs and powers, they were unlike anything Sasuke had ever seen. He easily had the situation handled, but the Uchiha simply hated being oblivious to such things.

He also hated that he still had no idea of his opponents’ motives. Nothing about them added up. They had a sophisticated facility where they were clearly experimenting with humans, their jutsus were uncommon, yet their fighting styles were completely amateur. Just who were these guys?

“You might kill us now, Uchiha Sasuke, but you’ll never get past Masahiro-sama. You and your people will pay for what you did sooner or later.”

“And what exactly did “my people” do?” Sasuke asked, his voice even.

Bursting in outrage, one of the masked men bolted towards Sasuke and pinned him to the wall. Though the man’s nose wasn’t visible, Sasuke could hear his flaring breaths as the man tried to calm himself down.

“You destroyed everything! You and the rest of the moronic ninjas, with your pointless wars…everything is your fault!”

“Oi, Sadao! Shut your mouth!” one of the men yelled from behind. “This isn’t the time for petty confrontation,” continued the other.

_Ah, so that’s what this is about. The aftermath of the Shinobi World. These people probably had families that were victims of the destruction._

“So, what, you think you and your little clique here are going to fix all the problems between shinobi? By experimenting on innocent children? If so, then you’re no different than the shinobi you so despise.”

The man huffed at Sasuke’s words, and a sly smirk played at his lips. “Don’t question our methods, _Uchiha._ It’s real rich getting righteous advice from a clan that has reeked nothing but the stench of death for decades now.”

The raven-haired man clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth. He’s heard worse before, but his clan’s pride was always a delicate spot.

“Everyone around you always dies, and I’ll make sure it stays that way, along with the rest of you ninjas!” A silver chakra gathered at Sadao’s palm as he aimed it towards Sasuke, but it didn’t matter because the swordsman had already stabbed him just as fast as the chakra appeared. The two men behind knew they didn’t stand a chance against the Uchiha, but they attacked him anyways and reached their demise.

The dark man thought he’d seen plenty of peculiar things for one day, but then something weirder happened.

Someone’s arm was breaking through Sasuke’s chest. He looked up to see who it was, and his heart stopped.

“N-nii s-san?”


	16. Refuge

_Uchiha Itachi died. Uchiha Itachi is still dead._

While the surely false former Uchiha continued to dig through Sasuke’s chest, Sasuke was more focused on the pain of simply seeing his brother again, especially like this. He was in his reanimation form, which is what threw him off. And no matter how hard the younger brother tried to break through the genjutsu-because it must be a genjutsu, right?-it wasn’t working.

He tried consulting other possibilities, but he came up empty.

Itachi came closer to Sasuke with his hand still in his chest. “They were right, you know. Everyone around you will die, and it’s going to be your fault. Just like my death is your fault,” He whispered while simultaneously plunging further into Sasuke’s breast.

Sasuke was coughing up blood at this point, and a stray tear had betrayed him at the cruel words.

Itachi’s death was Sasuke’s greatest nightmare. He still shivered at the memory, and indeed believed that he was accountable for his dear brother’s death. It haunted him every single day, some more than the others, but to hear those words like this-genjutsu or not-was a much greater pain than he could possibly bear.

He tried once more using his Rinnegan to break out of the hallucination, but still, no use. Time seemed to stop as his elder brother looked down on him with disgust and disappointment, and Sasuke was already beginning to give in; he knew he deserved it anyways.

He took a look at his surroundings. Everything appeared to be as it was formally, then he looked back at his brother.

_Maybe this is this real after all. The universe is punishing me, and now I have to pay for my greatest sin of all._

“Forgive me, Nii-san..” he whispered.

“Uchiha Sasuke…. _die!_ ”

                             **************************************

 _Goddammit,_ Sakura cursed as she tried yet again to resist Akio’s mind jutsu. She had noticed earlier that the powerful possession had broken when the explosion took place since it caught the caster off guard and distracted him. She concluded that the jutsu requires immense concentration and thus a large amount of chakra. A part of her was counting on Sasuke to cause more distractions, but he’s been unusually quiet for a while now. She’d scream out his name if she could, but the jutsu wouldn’t let her do even that.

“I don’t know what your name is, but in a few minutes it won’t matter,” Akio continued to taunt her. She was awkwardly moving towards the acid as if being controlled by an inexperienced puppeteer. Her heart rate was rising exponentially with every step as she got closer to the acid. She fought and fought, but it was no use.

Sakura was going to burn to death.

                      ********************************************

Sasuke, with his back nailed to the wall and his mouth drooling of blood, was fully surrendering to the false elder Uchiha. He felt himself sinking in despair, but then a loud, familiar scream broke him out of his trance.

Sakura.

Sasuke flinched and jerked his head upwards to look at his brother. Before he could do anything, he noticed that his Sharingan looked unusual, with two solid rings connecting the tomoes rather than one.

Immediately, he grabbed the man’s arm and viciously tossed him across the hall. Sasuke’s expressions were getting more animalistic by the second; how could he have let this happen? He knew from the start the man wasn’t Itachi, so how is it that Sasuke was standing there bleeding because of a stupid mistake like that, one that could possibly cost him Sakura’s life, not to mention his own? Just what the hell kind of genjutsu was he hypnotized into?

The man trembled as he struggled to stand up right. His back was still facing Sasuke, and when he turned around it was clear that he was yet another member of the Kurookami, as Sasuke recognized his now broken mask.

“Impressive,” he began, his true face beginning to show. “None of my previous subjects have ever been able to break out of my Akumu Jutsu before.”

“Akumu?” Sasuke asked skeptically.

“The Nightmare Jutsu, yes.” The man’s voice sounded familiar, and Sasuke eventually remembered it belonged to the masked leader of the Kurookami he’d seen at the office earlier. The Uchiha noted to himself that this must be the “Masahiro-sama” Sasuke’s dead opponent had mentioned, since he damn near had Sasuke on a death platter.

Masahiro started casually walking towards the raven-haired man who still stood there with his good hand trying to stop the bleeding. “It’s a special genjutsu I’ve developed,” he continued to explain while--stretching? “The caster gets inside his opponent’s head, grasps on to his worst fear or nightmare, and emits a chakra that maximizes the chemicals and hormones of the enemy as the fears begin to materialize into a genjutsu.”

 _Clever_ , Sasuke thought. No wonder he suddenly felt an exaggerated desire for suicide when he saw Itachi.

As the Black Wolves’ leader got closer and closer, Sasuke noticed his fingers’ movement but made no outward remark on it. He closed his eyes, took a ragged breath considering his bodily condition at the moment, and ignored the blabbering going on in the background. He needed to get to Sakura already, and this man was being a nuisance.

As his eyelids began to part, he spotted Masahiro slowly raising his right hand weaved into a tiger sign. Sasuke had a feeling the strange finger motions were probably his own unique hand signs, but he wasn’t going to let him live long enough so that he’d find out.

“Amaterasu!”

                                           ***********************************

It wasn’t hard to find Sakura considering the loud screams of agony that seemed to fill the entire desert. When he finally reached the source of the sound, his heart very nearly stopped. Sasuke had just witnessed Sakura be fully emerged, from head to toe, in the pool of acid. _Acid_. His eyes widened as the last tip of her head disappeared, his heart and mind racing erratically, almost as though they were competing to see which one of them will give out first. “Sakura!” he screeched, the desperation so evident in his voice. He was getting dizzy; whether it was from the blood loss or from seeing his old comrade practically burn to death, he wasn’t sure.

He fell to his knees, looking so helpless and feeling as worthless as ever. The whole scene was bizarre, at least in Akio’s eyes, which caused him to break out into obnoxious laughter. Who knew he would get the chance to see such a famous, legendary man at his weakest point, and for what? Some girl? It was all far too amusing for him.

Suddenly, Sasuke’s physical pain seemed to slowly dissipate as it was starting to be overcome by a mixture of intense fury, guilt, and the need to senselessly beat the living hell out of the man in front of him.

He got to his feet and was about to make a run for it and just break every bone in the Kurookami’s body, when a rippling sound came from the direction of the oasis.

There was a body climbing out of the liquid, the skin nothing but shades of red and black. What used to be clothes was now completely melted and stuck to the skin horridly, and what was once beautiful, pink locks of hair was now dry strings of ashes on the verge of falling into pieces.

“S-sakura….” Sasuke whispered almost inaudibly, and Akio was just as astonished.

The kinoichi was standing on the acid the way she would on water. She was looking down, her burned hair hiding her eyes in their shadows. But in the middle of her forehead shone the bright, purple light in the shape of a diamond; her Byakugou Seal. Their thick stripes extended across her body, and as Sasuke and Akio watched in striking awe, their eyes glimmering and their jaws dropped, Sakura’s body was emitting even more smoke as her skin and hair began to regenerate. She looked like a phoenix; literally rising from the pit of fire and ashes, being reborn anew, stronger and fiercer than ever before.

Akio had known about this seal, and remembered all the failed attempts of the Kurookami trying to recreate it in their labs, and manually injecting it into their subjects getting nothing but awful results, usually in the form of children undergoing insanity—or eating each other alive.

Watching the real thing sent a chill down his spine, and his instincts told him to immediately back off. But unfortunately for him, Sakura had raised her head and directed her gaze towards him. But it wasn’t so much a “gaze” as it was a death stare, one he had no doubt was going to end him.

_Shit._

Sasuke smirked when he saw the look in Sakura’s eyes, and thought it best to get out of her way.

Before Akio could even finish the thought of maybe using his Settoku again, Sakura was already right in front him, her fist directly aimed at his right eye. Soon after, he lost his left eye as well in the worst, possible way, and he already felt his insides drowning in blood that was soon to mark his end. As Sakura kicked him in the air, he blindly wove signs for one of his water jutsus, hoping to give him a lighter land rather than falling onto the hard ground.

But to his misfortune, he was right above the damned acid pool. Sakura smirked, and immediately placed herself above the now blind man, and kicked him right in the torso, sending him straight into the core of the oasis. She quickly used Substitution to get out of that vicinity, and appeared right beside Sasuke. “Sasuke-kun, get us out of here quickly!”

As she placed Sasuke’s arm around her shoulders and waited for him to open a portal with his Rinnegan, she murmured to herself with a smile, “water on acid equals…”

_Boom._


	17. Bonds

Sasuke sat on the bed at the inn he had teleported them back to, while Sakura locked herself in the bathroom trying to heal the rest of her wounds. Some pieces of cloth had melted into her skin, and it was taking a little bit more effort to remove them, not to mention the process was extremely painful.

With every whimpering sound that escaped the pink healer, Sasuke’s expression hardened and he grit his teeth. But before he got the chance to fully beat himself over the fact that his partner was in unendurable pain because of him, his own physical pain caught up to him.

He was starting to feel light-headed because off all the blood loss, and the hole in his chest suddenly ached, making Sasuke let out a short scream, then, it was all black.

                                           ****************************

The Uchiha man woke up to the sound of—clanking? What was that, a knife?

He slowly opened his eyes and saw Sakura standing in the mini-kitchen with her back to him, preparing food. He was lying in the bed, now shirtless, with a huge bandage wrapped around his torso. Sasuke made an attempt to sit up but his body thought it was a terrible idea. Sakura sensed the movement behind her and turned around.

“No no no Sasuke-kun, you shouldn’t be moving,” the medic-nin begged.

“Just help me sit up.” The kinoichi took his hand and did exactly that, then pulled the light blanket and tucked it up to Sasuke’s waist. She then took a seat beside him on the bed and said, “Please try to get some rest; you were hurt pretty badly.”

Sasuke looked up at the woman in front of him. Her hair was short again after having to cut off chunks of burnt locks. Her maroon, long sleeve shirt made her cheeks seem flushed, and her bright, green eyes were glimmering with emotions. There was so much passion and sympathy in those eyes, and it was just occurring to the Uchiha now that those expressive eyes had always been her trademark, which is how he knew deep within himself, every time they had crossed paths in the past after his leaving Konoha, that Sakura truly cared for him. It was always crystal clear in her emerald eyes; the eyes that haunted him when he fought to rid himself of all bonds, along with his best friend’s.

Still not saying anything, Sasuke quickly scanned Sakura to see if she was still hurt. His eyes caught sight of a small burn on Sakura’s hand, and once again, his expression changed to one of anger and exasperation.

Unaware of the battle going on in her partner’s mind, Sakura thought Sasuke was in pain. Well, physical pain.

“Is anything hurting?! What’s wrong?”

To her surprise, Sasuke grabbed her right hand with his own and gazed at it. He cautiously ran his thumb over the burn, while trying to find the right words to say.

“I had promised myself….after Itachi…that I would never let a precious comrade get hurt again…yet I—”

“Sasuke-kun,” the pink woman interrupted. She placed her left hand over Sasuke’s as a gesture of reassurance. “This is not your fault. Things like this always happen in the Shinobi world, and will keep happening for as long as the battle between good and evil continues.” She looked at him for a short moment then let go of his hand, and instead wrapped both arms around his neck in a warm hug. “You never have to blame yourself for anything that happens to me,” Sakura whispered.

The prolonged hug made Sasuke’s expression soften, and he placed his good hand at the small of Sakura’s back as a silent thank you.

When Sakura disentangled from the love of her life, she smiled at him as she focused chakra in her hand and started healing the small burn that had Sasuke so concerned. “See?” she said. “It’s not even that bad.” She gave him another cheeky smile, flashing her teeth and giggling. It was an infectious smile that not even Sasuke could resist, making his lips form a smile of his own. “Now rest up while I finish making dinner.”

The kinoichi turned around and continued preparing the food. _Itachi, huh?_ She thought. She wanted to ask Sasuke about him, and about what had happened back at the desert, but she knew neither of them were in a state where they wanted to think about the past few hours. _Later then_ , Sakura noted in the back of her mind.

                                         *******************************

Exhausted from the previous events, the two ninjas passed out swiftly and slept like corpses through the night. Soon the next day, in the early afternoon, Sasuke insisted on going out and exploring the area because anything was better than sitting still in bed. His medic-nin protested but she knew there was no convincing Sasuke now, and they needed to restock on food anyways.

The weather in the town of Aratahaji was everything the Konoha travelers needed to forget the desert. It was cool with a soft breeze, the sun shining on the surroundings, giving off a surreal feel. Red apples seemed redder, the trees seemed greener, the sky even bluer. It was much different than when Sakura had come to the marketplace the night before to get something for Sasuke.

It was a nice, peaceful town. The two Shinobi had lunch at one of the restaurants, and Sakura had insisted on them trying a kabab-style fruit on a stick type of treat. They walked and walked, until the breeze became stronger and signing birds filled the sky. After strolling for a little longer, a small canal surrounded by beautiful maple trees came into view, revealing the destination of all those birds from earlier.

There were people everywhere enjoying a lovely day under the sun. Some were having picnics while others just sat together and admired mother nature. Sakura stood under the trees and her eyes widened and sparkled with awe as she took in the beautiful scenery. Sasuke looked at her and thought she would nearly blend in with her surroundings; with her pink hair and maroon shirt complimenting the maple leaves. It was quite a sight and unlike any of the many, many sceneries Sasuke had seen in his previous travels. _Beautiful,_ he thought; a word he’d nearly forgotten existed, and all it took was a good look at the woman who never gave up on him to remind him of the term.

“Would you like to sit down somewhere, Sasuke-kun? This place is stunning.”

“Sure,” he agreed with a smile.

They found a spot under one of trees and made themselves comfortable in the tall grass. Sakura however, immediately noticed some flowers growing next to the trees. She had never seen anything like them before, so she was intrigued.

“Oh my God, what are these?” she wondered out loud. Sasuke looked in her direction, and surprisingly recognized the flowers. They were heart-shaped and pink, with white buds sprouting from the bottom, their stems yellow and thick. “They’re called Bleeding Heart flowers,” Sasuke formally replied. “They’re considered some of the strangest looking plants in the world.”

“Strange, but surely beautiful,” Sakura remarked with fascination. “I wonder if they have any medical properties…maybe I should take some back to Konoha with me and experiment on them with Ino.”

The comment made Sasuke further admire Sakura’s medical interests, but what he had been really thinking about was how that flower, back then, had reminded him of Sakura and urged him to go home to her sooner. He thought about telling that to Sakura when suddenly a little girl came running past them and accidentally tripped and fell.

“Hana!” a young woman who must have been the girl’s mother, called after her. “Are you alright?!”

The little girl sat on her bottom and looked at her legs, then noticed her knee was bruised and started crying. “Shhh it’s okay, don’t cry,” her mother tried to comfort her while examining the scratch.

Sakura stood up and walked towards the mother and daughter, then bent down on her knees. “Hi there, would you mind if I take a look at that? I’m a doctor,”  she said with a reassuring smile.

“Of course,” the mother consented quickly.

“Now let’s see here,” Sakura sing-songed to the little kid. “Oh it’s just a little scratch! Now, check this out,” she told Hana with a wink. Extending just two fingers, the medic-nin exerted a small amount of chakra and ran it back and forth a few times over the girl’s knee until the cut disappeared.”

“See? Piece of cake,” Sakura said with a thumbs up and a big smile.

“S-sugoi!” the little girl said with fascination. “Arigato nee-san!” She got up and patted her dress down, then grabbed her mom’s hand so she can take off again on her little adventure. The mother nodded at Sakura and followed her lively daughter.

Sakura sat back down next to Sasuke who had been watching her closely from the back, thinking about how the role of a medic was perfect for Sakura, who had cared for him and Naruto since their Genin days, both emotionally and physically. Flashes of the Chunnin exams crossed his mind and scurried away just as quickly as they’d come.

Too lost in thought, Sasuke hadn’t noticed the frown on Sakura’s face and the longing look in her eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked with concern.

“It’s…it’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. Tell me.”

Sakura looked to her side at Sasuke, then back towards the canal. A soft wind blew and made their hair sway. “I was just thinking about those kids we saw back at the base…I wish I could have been able to help them.”

“They hadn’t been kids for a long time when we’d gotten there, unfortunately. It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but…it just pains me to think about what those children might have went through. They were probably at that place for months, if not years….Ino and I have been thinking about opening a mental health hospital for children, so this just feels so…personal.”

Sakura held her hands against her chest like she’d been saying a prayer, and Sasuke, once again, was rendered speechless by the extent of Haruno Sakura’s kindness and empathy. He wasn’t used to being surrounded by this phenomenon of emotions, and he felt an instinctive need to express… _something_.

He cleared his throat. “Sakura,” he started. “I…uh…wanted to…” Sakura looked at him intently, watching him choose his words.

“I just…you….” he rambled on. Frustration building up inside him, Sasuke’s cheeks became flushed and he looked away from Sakura’s eyes. He had no idea how to say what he wanted say, in fact, he wasn’t sure if he even knew what exactly he was getting at.

He peeked back at her and saw Sakura biting her lips to hide a smile. “I…” the pink ninja interrupted him when she placed her hands on each side of Sasuke’s face.

“I know, Sasuke-kun. I know.” She ran her left thumb softly over Sasuke’s skin, then, to both of their surprise, Sakura’s lips were touching Sasuke’s.

Sasuke’s eyes widened with shock as more blood rushed to his face. The feeling that spread through his body was indescribable yet short-lived, as Sakura quickly pulled away, using her left hand to cover her lips, clearly shocked at her own actions. She too was blushing erratically, looking at the man she loved from the corner of her eye, trying to figure out whether she offended him or comforted him.

They looked at each other for a long time, neither of them saying a word. They were just Sasuke and Sakura, sitting together with the wind blowing around them rustling the leaves of the maple trees, and swaying the buds of the Bleeding Hearts. The world went mute as they, for the first time, allowed one another to look into the other’s soul and explore that untouched territory. They were having a silent conversation; speaking in a language only comprehensible to the single Haruno Sakura and the only Uchiha Sasuke.

Once again, the raven-haired man reached for the cherry blossom’s hand, but this time, he placed the soft palm on his beating heart. Sakura’s eyes shined with what was undeniably the epitome of happiness, and Sasuke reciprocated the feeling by tightening his grip on her palm and smiling.

After a long pause, Sasuke let go of Sakura’s hand as she repositioned herself to instead wrap her arm around Sasuke’s. She placed her head on his shoulder and they just stayed like that, completely unbothered; together in mind and body.

                                          *************************

It was sunset already. Hours passed after the Uchiha and his cherry blossom had shared their first kiss. Neither of them could say it out loud, but they both had spent those hours assuring themselves that they were ready to continue acknowledging these feelings that have been jailed for far too long.

The intense air from earlier was still with them, so Sakura tried to lighten things up by changing the subject. Without really thinking much, she spilled the first thought that came to mind.

“I wonder how Naruto is doing,” she said fondly.

“Probably just being Naruto,” Sasuke added with a similar tone.

“I guess…Can you believe he’s becoming a dad already? The mere thought makes me so happy.”

After a short pause, Sasuke said “Yeah, he’s come a long way.”

Sakura looked up at the Uchiha and smiled at his reply, then she added “So have you.”

They were making their way back to the marketplace to find another place to have dinner. Sakura scurried on in front of Sasuke as she kept talking about what Naruto and Hinata should name their kid.

The whole ordeal took Sasuke’s mind to an unfamiliar place. With Sakura walking in front of him, he suddenly found himself picturing the Uchiha crest on the back of that maroon shirt. The feeling that image gave him was foreign and a little heavy, but it also felt very…right. In place.

He was snapped off of his train of thought when Sakura turned around and asked him why he was blushing, and the fact that he was caught blushing just made him blush even more.

“I—uh, I wasn’t—”

“Oh my God,” Sakura said dramatically. “It’s my hair isn’t it. I had a feeling I cut it unevenly! Is it really that terrible from the back?!”

“Uh-uhm…your hair is fine,” he replied, half-confused and half-relieved.

“Is there something on my back then?! My butt? Is my dress dirty?!” Sakura just grew more and more frantic and did a little spin around herself as she tried to figure out the reason behind Sasuke’s pink cheeks.

_Kawaii_ , Sasuke thought. Another word he never thought he’d understand. So many things were coming to light today, it almost felt like a dream.

Suddenly, the Uchiha started laughing. And then he laughed some more, and then a little bit more until he was bending down and holding his stomach because he couldn’t control the laughter any longer.

He stood upright again and found Sakura giving him another one of her looks. She couldn’t believe what she’d just witnessed; the vengeful Uchiha Sasuke she’d known her entire life had just genuinely laughed, and _God_ , what a beautiful, pure sound it was.  

“Sasuke-kun,” she let out, barely containing her emotions. “Are you happy?”

Sasuke nodded, the laughter still dancing in his eyes.

Sakura ran to Sasuke and jumped on him, causing him to slightly lose his balance as she embraced him in another tight hug. He felt his wound slightly ache from the embrace, but he didn't care. "I love you," Sakura whispered, her breath tickling Sasuke's neck. She was glad to be hiding her tears from him, despite them being happy ones. Sasuke buried his face in Sakura's hair, he too glad that she couldn't see his face.


	18. An Uchiha at Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyy everyone....I honestly have no idea what to say...I mean, it literally took two actual years for me to get around to writing this chapter....I'm so sorry T__T 
> 
> But alas, I have made a pact with myself to try and make this the semester where I actually finish things, since I also happen to be finishing college soon as well. 
> 
> Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope y'all actually still care about this story (or even remember it lol)...

The next month went by in bliss. Sasuke was smiling so often; the special smile he only reserved for Sakura. Sakura knew that smile well now, and she found her epitome of happiness in it, just as Sasuke found his happiness in being surrounded by someone who constantly reminded him of what it felt like to have a family. Their time together felt like a dream more often than not, and neither of them wanted it to end. Standing on a high mountain in the Akaisora no Yamayama, the Crimson Sky Mountains, Sakura and Sasuke took in the amazing scenery.

The serrated mountains glistened in the distance. Their powdered peaks soared, sparkling under the wings of the birds roaming the sunset sky. Sasuke stood behind Sakura and watched her admire the landscape. “It’s so beautiful,” she said. “Who would’ve thought that places like this existed?”

Behind her, Sasuke smiled, and thought about how the color of the sky reminded him of Sakura; her pink hair, her maroon dress…he thought about how the mountains in the distance only looked mighty and great because of the red sky that blanketed them from above…much like how Sasuke only occasionally accepted himself for who he is and what he’s done in the past, because Sakura was now there by his side, giving the strength to move forward; to be mighty and great.

On their way back to civilization, Sakura thought about all the things she’s seen, both the good and the bad, and how she couldn’t wait to share the whole experience with her parents, Ino, Hinata, Temari…and even Naruto.

“Ne, Sasuke-kun,” she started. “We’ve been traveling for quite a while now, haven’t we?”

“Indeed.”

“Do you think maybe….we should…”

“Do you want to go back to Konoha?”

“Yes. Well, I mean, no, it’s not that I don’t want to keep traveling with you, it’s just—” It had just hit Sakura how that statement might have come off, and suddenly she was getting flustered, waving her palms sideways in a quick motion, trying to make sure she didn’t offend Sasuke.

“This,” she finally said after catching her breath. “Every second with you has been amazing,” she whispered, looking away shyly as a tint of pink started creeping into her cheeks. “I guess I just want to check up on Naruto and the others.” She felt a little silly saying this out loud, so she just watched her footsteps in the snow as she walked beside her partner.  
Sasuke didn’t say anything for a long moment, which made Sakura even more nervous. Thankfully, though, the sky brought about flakes of snow that quickly enthralled Sakura. “Kirei,” she marveled. She would never get sick of watching snow fall.

As the pink kinoichi was looking up at the sky, she accidentally stepped on the back of her long, brown cloak. The cloth wrapped around her neck for a second. It nearly choked her, but ended up unfastening and falling off her shoulders. She then slipped on the damn thing and prepared herself to face plant in the snow—

Sasuke caught her, his arm quickly wrapping around her waist. Since he was short one arm, he had to pull her closer to help her stand up straight. Sakura’s hands ended up on either side of Sasuke’s chest as she mumbled a nervous “thank you”.

She stared at the cloak on the snowy ground beside her, waiting for Sasuke’s arm to release her…except it didn’t. She slowly moved her head to face the firm man holding her. The cold she was just feeling on her exposed neck was already turning into heat.

Sasuke was looking straight at Sakura. His dark eyes somehow turned lighter-even his Rinnegan seemed softer-as her own emerald eyes reflected into his. Sakura could feel his chest starting to heave under her fingers, which only made her heart skip a thousand beats at a time.

“Sas—” before Sakura could let out the second syllable, the Uchiha slid his good arm up to her shoulder and pulled in the kinoichi to close in the last distance between them. He caught her lips between his with more force than he’d intended, but he wasn’t going to take it back now—he couldn’t.

Sakura’s brain froze. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t move, but soon enough the taste of the man embracing her got her weak in the knees, she had to wrap her arms around his neck and give in now. She kissed Sasuke back, feeling him stiffen up a little under her arms, but quickly resolving to keep going.

What was this? Sasuke thought somewhere deep in the back of his mind. This feeling…intimacy? Is this what that is? For so long, how could he have lived like he did, without something like this? Without a genuine, close connection to a single person, no strings attached; without feeling like he had to put up his guard and line up all his defenses to anyone who gets an inch closer to him than they were supposed to…instead, here he was engulfing another person so tightly they could melt into each other despite freezing temperatures.

Sakura’s hand was in Sasuke’s hair now, her other clutching the hood of his cloak as their rhythm got more intense. The Uchiha was a natural kisser; if Sakura didn’t know better she would have thought he has years of experience under his belt. Sasuke was enthralled by it all, the heat, the hunger, the desire, Sakura. Sakura, whose name once sounded like a sin on his lips now tasted like one, and damn it all to hell if he was ever going to atone for a beautiful sin like her.

They finally tore their lips away, their lungs begging for air, their eyes breathing out the remnants of their concluded burst of desire. Sasuke was just starting to absorb what had just happened, and suddenly he wished his hair was even longer so as to cover up his embarrassed face. Not knowing what to do with himself, he hugged Sakura. He buried his face in her neck only to realize how cold it was. “You’re freezing,” he whispered, now remembering her cloak on the ground. He picked it up, and Sakura came around to pat down the cloak and make sure there are no pieces of ice sticking to it. “You should take mine,” Sasuke offered, already trying to unfasten his cloak. Sakura assured him that it was fine, but he wouldn’t have it.

“Sasuke-kun.” Sakura reached out and held Sasuke’s hand, knowing he’s just as flustered as she is, if not more. She smiled at him gently and told him again that she was just fine. She wore the thick, brown cloth around her magenta jacket with the furry, white wool cowl. She started rubbing her hands together and blowing into them, then rubbing her arms up and down at an attempt to further warm herself.

Sasuke watched her fondly. He wasn’t sure why he was smiling, but he wasn’t going to think about it. He stepped behind Sakura and hugged her again. He pulled her in closer to him and gently stroked her shoulder to keep her whole body warm, leaving her to only worry about her hands.  
They stood there in silence, just taking in the snow, the wind, the feel of one another, and the sound of each other’s hearts.

*******************************************  
After making it back to their inn, Sakura and Sasuke gathered their things and embarked on their journey back to their home village. They passed through the Crimson Sky mountains again, the maple trees they’d visited, and the desert where they’d been held hostage—they wanted to make sure things were calm and as they should be.

Finally, standing in front of the gates of Konoha, Sakura raised her arms both out of excitement and to just stretch. “Ahhhh, it’s so good to be home!”

It was nearing nightfall, the hour where the sun was bidding its final lavender goodbye over its horizon. Sasuke walked silently, looking straight ahead. Sakura behind him, took in every inch of her home village as if she hadn’t seen it in eons. She had noticed Sasuke’s silence upon returning to the village, and wondered what was going through his mind this time around. Did he still feel tense and uncomfortable? Did he still feel like an outcast in these streets?

Both lost in their own sea of thoughts, they approached a very particular wooden bench. They both looked at it through the corner of their eyes, recalling the events of that night from so long ago.

Suddenly, Sasuke stopped. Sakura’s face went cold, her inner self questioning whether this bench had some kind of curse.

“Sakura,” Sasuke called out. The deep pitch of his voice normally would have risen the hairs on Sakura’s neck, but this time, there was something slightly different in his tone that Sakura couldn’t quite put her finger on. Before she could answer, Sasuke continued speaking.

“You know, back then when I met Senju Tobirama, he had told me something interesting about my clan.”

“Is that so?” Sakura replied, not sure what to expect, and why Sasuke was bringing this up now.

“He explained to me the history of my clan, and the nature of the Sharingan, but most importantly…he told me that no clan feels love as deeply as the Uchiha.”

“If that’s true, then…” Sasuke turned his head to look back at the pink woman, his eyes smiling the same way his lips were. “You’re an Uchiha at heart, Sakura. You always have been.”

Sakura’s eyes widened in shock at the candor of the statement. Before she could even fully process the words, Sasuke turned around and took a few steps closer to her. “How would you like to become a real Uchiha?”

A flock of birds flew above the Uchiha and medic-nin, going towards the last ray of sunlight that shone on Sasuke’s face, giving him a halo-like aura. Sakura looked at him in awe, a whole sun of emotions suddenly dawning in on her. She swallowed audibly, then whispered the Uchiha’s name. “Are you…are you saying what I think you’re saying?” The raven-haired man simply smiled in response.

The kinoichi bit her lip, trying to stop it from trembling but to no avail. She ran over to the love of her life and embraced him with every ounce of her being, letting the tears run free. “Thank you,” she said between soft sobs. “Thank you so much.”

“No…thank you, Sakura.”


End file.
